SCENARIO

​The OXO brand is known for applying universal design to deliver well-designed, comfortable, and easy-to-use tools for cooking and food prep. They're exploring opportunities to expand their business in new areas that incorporate sensors and digital UIs for precision results, as well as expanding into new types of product lines.

For this project, I designed a 3-D lo-fi prototype of a shower control interface to demonstrate how OXO might apply their core competency in new ways. The design included the following criteria:

product controls and interface/display must fit within the dimensions of approximately 4x4x2 in volume

product weight is approximately .75 pounds, and should be able to mount on a wall

physical affordances and controls must be easy to use when visibility and dexterity are challenge by soapy hands, steamy showers, and absence of corrective lenses

DESIGN

My first priority was to design a forgiving concept that accommodates challenging visibility and dexterity setting because the other design criteria can revolve around this. As a solution, I incorporated an audio, voice-command system to enable hands and vision-free interaction. Inspired by Amazon's Alexa and Microsoft's Cortana, my product can be triggered by command of, "Hey/hi/hello Sally."

To minimize the learning curve, I chose universal icons (that are also captioned) to represent various features. Furthermore, I used universal colors to help users associate the hot and cold with corresponding temperature settings.

One important aspect to note about my design is that "volume" represents "pressure." I interpreted volume as the various levels of water pressure that can be released from the shower head and handheld wand.

INITIAL SKETCHES

PROTOTYPE

My prototype highlights simplicity and intuitiveness. The goal in my design was to make the product easy-to-use in the shower by offering a large digital screen and 3D temperature dial since that's the most basic shower tool. The transparent paper used in my prototype provides a glossy appearance which is representative of a digital screen. This prototype is water-proof as foam floats and does not absorb water. The permanency of the sharpies are also water-proof.

ANALYSIS

WHAT WENT WELL

I conducted usability testing with three participants. Though this is not enough to draw a representative conclusion, it still provided an idea of what did and didn't work well. A few aspects that worked well with my prototype included:

The model was intuitive

1/3 users described the prototype as "easy because [the] features were clearly labeled with good symbols"

"It was easy to distinguish between each button."

"It was simple, it didn't ove complicate with unnecesary steps"

Addition of a voice command capability was innovative because it enabled users with soapy hands and challenging visibility to control the device

The video demo showed clear instructions on how the prototype functions

It was clever and cute to draw water droplets in the video demo to show that the shower head was on

FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS

Based on user feedback and observations, my design and prototype can be improved by implementing the following:

Instead of assuming that volume means water pressure, I should clarify with the client (OXO)

Consider how water pressure could be controlled through the water spout

I drew an icon for "user," but never used this icon in any of my tasks which confused my participant. Either don't add the icon, or make sure to utilize it in a task

Draw in holes to represent speaker holes instead of using Velcro strips because the 1 user thought the Velcro was the audio controller

Relocate the "pause" button to the top of the product instead of having it be the same button as the temperature dial because multi-purpose buttons have a steeper learning curve

Come up with other ways to mount the device on a shower wall because the magnetic strips weren't 100% sturdy

Clearly label what the "pause" button controls--music or water?

Add a "back" button on the digital interface

Demonstrate how to start the water once settings are selected

Add 3D elements to the prototype instead of drawing on icons/features

CONCLUSION

Overall, my model prototype is an effective representation of the design I was aiming to communicate. Considering feedback from my participant and OXO's design principle, I'd say my first model prototype satisfied OXO's brand characteristics of being comfortable and easy-to-use, and if I were to implement the feedback and suggestions I got from usability tests, then the prototype would better meet the guidelines of being well-designed.

VIDEO DEMO

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I've always been a very curious and reflective person, and this blog serves as place for me to track and share some of those thoughts. Lately, I've been sharing more about travel, so follow along if you're interested in learning tips & tricks or just want inspo.